Annor

PATRICK QUARM (b. 1988) is a Ghanaian contemporary artist who works between Ghana and the United States. Quarm blends traditional African aesthetics with Western influences, reflecting his own experience as a Ghanaian immigrant navigating multiple cultural identities. Quarm’s practice explores the intersection of identity, cultural hybridity, and social evolution. Using cultural signifiers and history from different eras and communities, he creates complex, multi-layered works.

Quarm’s distinctive approach integrates traditional African wax prints with painted surfaces, layering fabric to create dynamic compositions that blur the line between painting and sculpture. In his work ‘Annor,’ he meticulously cuts circular openings into the canvas, folding them outward to reveal underlying layers of African print fabric. This technique not only introduces depth and dimensionality but also serves as a metaphor for unveiling the multiple layers of his identity. Through his practice, Quarm explores the complexities of post-colonial history, globalization, and the fluid nature of identity in an increasingly interconnected world.

Quarm’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions including Ross+Kramer Gallery, New York, NY; Trout Museum of Art, Appleton, WI; Kunstraum Potsdam, Berlin, DE; Library Street Art Collective, Detroit, MI; K.N.U.S.T Museum Kumasi, Ghana; and the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI. His work is held in several public and private collections which include the Syracuse University Museum, Kalamazoo Institute of Art, and Kemper Museum collection.  He has participated as an artist-in-residence at the Red Bull Artist Residency in Detroit 2019 and was recently awarded the prestigious NXTHVN Fellowship 2021-2022.